This article guides you through the process of performing a make clean installation of macOS 10.15 Catalina using the bootable USB drive method, rather than upgrading your Mac using Apple'south standard installation bundle, which retains existing user data and any user-installed apps.

macs macos catalina
Creating a bootable USB bulldoze provides you with a convenient way to install a fresh copy of macOS Catalina on multiple Macs. Performing a clean install tin can also remove annoying quirks and foreign behaviors that your Mac may have inherited over fourth dimension, and often helps to repossess disk space caused by junk files left by tertiary-party apps.

To follow the steps in this commodity, you'll need an empty 16GB or larger USB pollex drive (USB-C or USB-A, depending on your Mac) and an 60 minutes or ii of downtime while the installation procedure completes.

Likewise, be certain to perform a full fill-in of your Mac beforehand using Time Machine, so that you can restore your original arrangement from the Recovery sectionalisation if something goes incorrect.

Compatibility Bank check

macOS Catalina is a major update that introduces a range of new features and changes including cantankerous-platform app support for tertiary-party apps, no more than iTunes, iPad as a 2nd screen functionality, Screen Time, and more.

Every Mac that tin run macOS Mojave will run macOS Catalina, with the exception of the mid-2010 and mid-2012 Mac Pro models. The full list of compatible Mac models is as follows:

  • MacBook (Early 2022 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Mid 2022 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2022 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Tardily 2022 or newer)
  • iMac (Late 2022 or newer)
  • ‌iMac‌ Pro (2017)
  • ‌Mac Pro‌ (Late 2022)

To bank check if your Mac is compatible, open the Apple () bill of fare in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen and select About This Mac. Look just below the Bone X version number in the Overview tab – if the Mac model name is the same or a later model year than the i shown in the compatibility list in a higher place, your Mac is compatible with macOS Catalina.

How to Perform a Clean Install of macOS Catalina

  1. Download macOS Catalina from the Mac App Store [Direct Link].
    Mac App Store
  2. Once the download is complete, close the installer window by selecting the Quit Install macOS option in the menu bar or using the keyboard shortcut Command (⌘) + Q.
  3. Launch the Terminal app (found in Applications/Utilities/Last).
  4. At the Concluding command prompt, type sudo followed past a infinite.
    mojave clean install 2
  5. Next, open up a Finder window, navigate to your Applications folder, right-click (or Ctrl-click) on the macOS 10.15 installer, and select Show Package Contents from the contextual dropdown menu.
  6. Navigate to Contents -> Resources within the installer package.
  7. Drag the createinstallmedia file into the Last window.
    mojave clean install 4
  8. Nonetheless in the Terminal window, blazon /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/XXXXX simply replace XXXXX with the name of the USB bulldoze y'all intend to use as a bootable installer.
  9. Once you've replaced XXXXX in the final step with the name of the USB drive, press the Enter key on your keyboard to run the completed Last command.
  10. Enter your ambassador password when prompted.
  11. Type Y and printing Enter when prompted, and the command volition create your bootable Catalina installer on the USB drive. This volition take a few minutes to complete, and then leave it running until you lot encounter the bulletin "Install media now bachelor." Note that if you're asked whether yous want to install Xcode during the process, you can safely click Non At present and the process volition complete successfully regardless.

Restart and Install

You tin install Catalina on your Mac as soon every bit the USB installer has been created. To exercise and so, restart your Mac and concur down the Pick (⌥) key every bit soon every bit you hear the reboot tone. So follow these steps:

  1. Employ the mouse pointer or the arrow keys on your keyboard to select the deejay called Install macOS Catalina in the drive list that appears on the screen.
  2. Once the USB drive has booted, select Disk Utility from the Utilities window, choose your Mac'southward startup bulldoze from the list, and click Erase.
  3. When your Mac's startup disk is formatted, return to the Utilities window and select Install macOS, choose your freshly erased startup drive when asked where to install the OS, and follow the onscreen prompts to complete the installation.

To install Catalina on some other Mac, first make sure information technology's powered off, and so only plug in the USB installer yous created and turn the Mac on. When you lot hear the boot tone, hold down the Option (⌥) key and follow the three steps above.

(Thanks to Angus for the new Terminal command!)

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